13 comments

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  Marcus

  2 years ago

  Annnnnd. Apparently nobody cares about writing good poetry. Sigh.
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  Craver-VII

  2 years ago

  Nnnnoooooo. Nobody can figure something clever to say without trivializing poetry and sounding foolish.
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  Jenn

  2 years ago

  Craver's right.
  
  But I would like to say what relief I feel to see that you also think The Great Divorce is a lousy title for a really good book.
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  Marcus

  2 years ago

  Craver, you never sound foolish! Even when you are funny, your wit has an edge that makes me stop and think.
  
  And I'm all ready to trivialize poetry. Our culture honors something by trivializing it! Or at least, that's what I learn every time I play trivial pursuit.
  
  Sometimes I think the Modernism and New Criticism ruined poetry by making it into a puzzle that only the smartest of the smart could play. I love T. S. Eliot, but it's largely his fault.
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  Marcus

  2 years ago

  Jenn, it took me years to read the Great Divorce because the title stinks so bad. Even the introduction and rationale for the title stinks. I mean, I love poetry but who cares about Blake's "Marriage of Heaven and Hell." Who has even read it???
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  L.L. Barkat

  2 years ago

  I believe I read it. How's that for a stunning persuasion for others to do the same?
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  Marcus

  2 years ago

  You caught me. I was being ridiculous. Actually, Blake's concept is pretty dangerous. And you see it all around all the time. There's even a church in San Antonio, unofficial bible belt capital, that has put up billboards telling people "Come here for good church. We don't believe in Hell." Or something like that. It was actually a burger joke, but I can't for the life of me remember how it went. Church was like a burger. Hell was the pickles. Order up the church, hold the Hell.
  
  Oh boy. Back to work.
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  Jenn

  2 years ago

  Why would Hell be a condiment?
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  Marcus

  2 years ago

  Jenn, I have no idea, but it sure made for a funny comment.
  
  To be honest, I found the entire ad campaign deeply offensive--not so much because it asked a difficult question and came up with a different answer than I would have. It was offensive because it belittled everyone who believed differently.
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  Craver-VII

  2 years ago

  --tangent alert----
  
  Belittling people. Is that absolutely always wrong or a tool to be used with great discretion?
  
  My own opinion is that generally, as it relates to religious beliefs, we should be careful to speak with truth and grace. But what about Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel?
  
  I personally think that it is useful to use shame and guilt for certain specific situations. Like when a man mistreats a lady, for example. I cannot take the law into my own hands, but it would not be beyond my jurisdiction to ask him, "Does that make you feel like a man?"
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  Marcus

  2 years ago

  Craver... Truth and grace. Truth and beauty. Interesting and subtle difference in language. Makes me think.
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  Jenn

  2 years ago

  Something semi-related to all this may just show up on my blog at some point. And here we thought we were talking about poetry. Oh. Wait. Maybe we are?
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  Eve Nielsen

  2 years ago

  About poetry (since that was sort-of the topic), I wrote some stuff when I was a teenager (full of emotion) but never thought it was good. I stay clear of it now. I would like to be able to write it (at least a bit), but have no idea how to start. What you posted here has given me a spark of hope that it may be possible, so where do I go from here?
  
  (P.S. I quoted you in a couple of my post comments at questwriter.blogspot.com-hope you don't mind)
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